FAQ
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Exceed Hormone Specialists does not accept insurance assignment, either private or government. We do not file insurance claims. We are a direct pay practice and payment is expected at the time of service. We do not have billing or pre-certification staff. All contact with insurance companies is your responsibility. We will provide you with all necessary paperwork so that you can request out of network reimbursement from your private insurance company. Patients report some insurance coverage for lab studies.
Learn all about the costs and insurance here.
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In women, symptoms of hormone deficiency may vary from hot flashes and sleeplessness to night sweats, loss of energy, lack of interest in sex, foggy thinking and depression. If you have these symptoms you should be evaluated.
In men, hormone loss results in loss of sex drive, poor sex function, fatigue and loss of energy and motivation.
Individuals with symptoms need a complete evaluation including appropriate medical history, examination, lab studies, and a treatment plan.
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Pure bioidentical hormones are precisely compressed into tiny pellets smaller than a Tic-Tac. These pellets are placed painlessly under the skin usually over the upper hip where they are uniformly released into the body.
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They are made from plants: wild yams. These yams have the highest natural concentration of hormones. No known allergies are associated with yams. They are natural, bioidentical and exact replicas of what your own body makes.
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Item descriptionEstrogen helps protect bone density as you age, lowering the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. It also supports skin health by improving hydration and elasticity, which can help with dry or thinning skin. In addition, estrogen plays a key role in vaginal health by maintaining moisture and tissue strength, helping relieve symptoms like dryness or discomfort.
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If your hormone levels are low or out of balance, you can expect that hormone replacement will make a dramatic difference in your energy level, comfort level and enjoyment of life – hormone balance can make you vital.
Many women applaud hormone therapy for:
• eliminating hot flashes and night sweats
• improving their sexual life
• increasing their energy level and sense of wellness
• increasing clarity and motivation
• reducing mood swings and reducing anxiety and depression
• reducing body fat and enhancing the ability to “get in shape”
Men can expect similar significant improvement in these areas:
• improving energy and less fatigue at day’s end
• improving sexual drive
• improving sexual function
• decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle
• improving motivation and drive
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Yes. Normal hormone levels are essential for good sex drive and sexual activity and enjoyment. If low hormones are the problem, nothing else will help. Correcting your hormone balance should make a big difference.
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Some patients report noticing a difference in a few days. For others, it can take up to four weeks to feel the effects. This is dependent on your body’s response to the hormones and how quickly they begin dissolving. Regular cardio exercise can help the pellets to begin to dissolve more quickly.
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Estrogen helps protect bone density as you age, lowering the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. It also supports skin health by improving hydration and elasticity, which can help with dry or thinning skin. In addition, estrogen plays a key role in vaginal health by maintaining moisture and tissue strength, helping relieve symptoms like dryness or discomfort.
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Of course! Estrogen as estradiol is the most important hormone for women. One reason it is so important is that it offers long term protection for the cardiovascular system, insures good bone health and protects against other age-related problems that begin in women after menopause. The body does not produce estradiol after menopause, so replacing it is very important.
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Women who still have a uterus need to take progesterone to protect the lining of the uterus. This can be as simple as an oral dose at bedtime or a progesterone IUD.
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It depends. We will certainly check your levels before your first implant. Then, we check them again at 4 weeks post-initial-implant. After this, we typically check them each time for the first year. After that, if your symptoms and your dosages are stable and well-managed, we may only get labs done twice per year.
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Only your insurance company can answer that question completely. Generally insurance does not cover effective pellet hormone therapy. They may cover a minor part of costs or have the cost go towards your health plan deductible.
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Men only need one hormone, testosterone, and they need it in much larger doses than in women. The testosterone pellets are more complex, therefore more expensive to create, and more of them are needed in men.
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Each treatment restores hormones for 3 – 6 months, depending on the individual. Generally, women require another dose in 3 – 4 months, and men can usually wait 5 – 6 months.
Your body’s circulation distributes the hormone; so that people who are more active, under more stress, or live in hot climates will require more frequent treatments.
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The ingredients in the pellets are all FDA approved. The distribution of the pellets is FDA controlled. The particular way hormones are administered is not regulated by the FDA.
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Side effects for both women and men are uncommon. This is especially true of bioidentical hormones and is one of the reasons we recommend bioidentical pellet therapy. Side effects are much more common with the use of synthetic hormone replacement.
Women may notice temporary breast tenderness with the first insertion. Minor hair growth or mild acne can occur with testosterone therapy.
In men, testosterone can decrease sperm count and testicle size and may aggravate prostate symptoms.
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This is not a problem. Your physician will be able to determine your current situation and future needs and place you on the correct pellet therapy even if you are now on hormone medications.
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Yes. In order to draw meaningful labs, you must be off oral birth control for a minimum of 21 days. Additionally, pellet therapy is for women in their post-family planning stage of life. If you are pre-menopausal or peri-menopausal, you must have an alternate method of contraception to begin and continue pellet therapy.
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Breast cancer survivors and those women with a family history of breast cancer may be able to use hormone pellets. Each case must be evaluated carefully and individually by your physician before therapy. Please call for a consultation.
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Excellent management of hormone issues requires physicians to be up-to-date in this particular medical area. Many physicians do not focus daily on hormone issues and instead use primarily synthetic prescription hormones.
Tailored bioidentical hormone therapy requires special training both in recognizing and evaluating certain symptoms as well as additional training in endocrinology. The specialized pellet insertion technique requires hands-on training.
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The hormone replacement will correct your hormone deficiency but your weight management and nutrition are important to maximize the hormone benefit.